The James Logan Courier

By Justyna Torres, Courier Editor-in-Chief

Family and friends joined together Wednesday night to celebrate the life of Julian Gutierrez by playing his favorite game, soccer.

The soccer game was dedicated to celebrating his life and passion for the game. His family played in his honor on the alumni team against the Union City Fighting Cocks, who was also composed of his family and friends.

In a pregame ceremony, head coach James Williams spoke to the crowd about Gutierrez and his lasting legacy.

During half time, the cheerleaders presented a banner in front of the crowd during a moment of silence. The James Logan Ballet Folklorico continued the ceremony by performing a couple traditional Mexican dances.

"We really put the game together in less than 24 hours and the turnout was really impressive," said Williams.

Originally, the game was supposed to be the season opener against San Leandro, however they notified Williams Tuesday night that the team could not attend. The memorial was in the original plan as well, but due to this situation the plan had to be slightly altered. It turned out for the better because the game was more of a family event and celebration rather than a competition.

"I really didn't do much to put on this event," said Williams, "I just made sure that there were two teams playing and a general time outline, Rufus Wollo was the one who came up and implemented the idea."

Wollo is the sophomore class president and soccer player. He said," So many people are focused on their futures and don't take enough time to remember the past. I wanted to put this together so that Logan could celebrate and remember Julian."

Wollo, along with the leadership team, did many things to make the event successful. Students were asked to wear their "Fear the Colts" shirts and for the sophomores to wear their class color or apparel. At lunch there was also a banner on which students could sign and write messages on.

A lot of love and heart went into this event for a beloved family member, teammate and friend.